Accessibility of updates and communications
2. To help users understand and keep up to date with the full narrative around developments to the LFS, ONS should gather this information in one place and make it easily accessible to users.
Actions taken and commitments made by ONS to meet the requirement
ONS has said that it supports this requirement and recognises that the audience for information on the LFS and TLFS is the same: labour market statistics users. Its recent Labour market transformation updates (published in April 2024 and July 2024) have included both LFS improvements and information on the transition to the TLFS. It plans to continue providing joint updates.
ONS also told us that improved accessibility and transparency has been a key focus for its July transformation update. The update was sent to around 6000 people registered to receive updates via govdelivery newsletters and was proactively shared at ONS’s media briefings on labour market statistics publication day. The transformation update is linked to from section 1 of the Labour market overview, Employment in the UK and Labour market in the regions releases published in July 2024. ONS also hosted an open stakeholder webinar in addition to its regular stakeholder engagement with key users. ONS intends to build on this engagement approach by making sure materials and collaborations are combined and readily accessible to all labour market users – both LFS and TLFS.
OSR judgement
We see ONS’s April 2024 and July 2024 Labour market transformation updates and the planned joint approach to communications as a positive step forward in bringing the narrative around the LFS and TLFS together for users. We also think that the inclusion in section 1 of the labour market releases published in July 2024 helps users to navigate to the most up-to-date announcement on this work. However, it remains difficult for users to find all documentation related to the development and transformation of labour market statistics. ONS should consider the feasibility of a central LFS/TLFS-type landing page, which users could have as a one-stop-shop to access all information on the TLFS and ongoing changes with the LFS. ONS might want to consider NISRA’s landing page for its Labour Market statistics transformation as a good example.
Action remaining
ONS should work with users to determine how it can improve the accessibility of all its LFS development and TLFS publications and communications.
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